Variable size periodical storage box



July 15, 1969 MORGAN 3,455,462

VARfABLE SIZE PERIODICAL STORAGE BOX Filed May 22, 1967 I 2 sheets-sheen 1F I/GURE 4/ A TTORNE Y.

J ly 15 W. C. MORGAN VARIABLE SIZE PERIODICAL STORAGE BOX Filed May 22, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGURE 5 o HGURE 7 William C. Morgan, INVENTOR.

United States Patent O m 3,455,462 VARIABLE SIZE PERIODICAL STORAGE BOX William C. Morgan, 3517 S. Garfield Place, Benton County, near Kennewick, Wash. 99336 Filed May 22, 1967, Ser. No. 640,206 Int. Cl. A47b 65/00, 45/00 US. Cl. 211-42 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A particularly formd container having two similar variably sizeable sides communicating with a variably sizeable central body to define a rigid boxlike structure, preferably open on two sides, adapted particularly to contain several magazines for storage. The members are sized by a user for individual use by detaching by severance or fracture discrete predetermined portions and the parts thereafter assembled by adhesion or otherwise to form the rigid container of the desired size.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are no applications related hereto filed in this or any foreign countries.

Field of invention My invention relates generally to an assembliable supporting container for several magazines or similar semifiexible paper structures and more particularly to such a container that is provided to the user in knocked down form with elements adapted to be sized by severance of pre-determined portions as desired by the user and thereafter to be assembled by the user, by adhesion or some comparable joining process, to a structural rigid container.

Description of prior art A magazine, periodical, or similar soft-covered publication has grown to be an important part of the communication field in our culture, generally and especially in many specialized areas. Speed of dissemination of information, facility of use, cost of publication and an oftentimes limited audience have all been contributing causitive factors in this growth. There has been no particular standardization of form or configuration of such periodicals and they vary considerably in these physical aspects.

It is often desirable to preserve such material. In so doing some means of containing it in a fashion that will physically protect it is most desirable and nearly essential, because of the relatively delicate nature of its physical embodiment. In this protective process it is also desirable that a plurality of material might be maintained in one coherent unit to aid in indexing and searching functions.

Various supporting containers have heretofore become known to fulfill some of such purposes. One class of such containers have not provided for adjustable sizing and are readily distinguishable from the instant invention on this ground. The other adjustably sizeable class of such containers as have heretofore become known have not provided a structure that: (1) may be readily assembled by the user from knocked down, simple parts particularly adapted to economic manufacture; and compact containment and shipment; (2) may be readily sized by detachment of pre-detremined portions to provide desired size in width, height and thickness; and (3) may be structurally united to form a rigid container by joinder of adjacent surfaces of the several parts without aid of interposed mechanical elements between any parts.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION My container provides paired opposed side elements joined by communication with a central body, that may be unitary or composite, to form a box-like srtucture preferably open on substantially two sides, usually the top and front. The several elements are provided with means about part of their periphery to allow detachment of predetermined portions to adjustably size each part. The several parts are formed with adjacent surfaces having some area of contact to allow for joinder by adhesion or otherwise.

The detachment of predetermined portions of the several elements may be accomplished by severance or preferably fracture along an established groove, if the material be sufficiently brittle to allow this.

In providing this structure, it is:

A principal object of my invention to provide a container adapted to particularly store soft-covered periodicals, having paired opposed similar side elements adapted to communicate with central body elements, all of said elements adapted to be assembled into a rigid functional unit by a user.

A further object of my invention to provide a container of the nature aforesaid with peripheral elements adapted to be detached in predetermined discrete portions for appropriate sizing of the remaining body element.

A further object of my invention to provide such a container for periodicals of rectilinear peripheral configuration with open top and front portions adapted to display and give access to two sides of periodicals carried therein.

A still further object of my invention to provide such a container that is compact in unassembled condition to provide for easy storage and shipping.

A still further object of my invention to provide such a periodical container that is of new and novel design, of simple and economic manufacture, of rugged and durable nature, and one that is otherwise well adapted to the uses and purposes for which it is intended.

These and other objects of my invention willl become apparent from consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part of this application.

In carrying out the objects of my invention, however, it is to be understood that its essential features are susceptible of change in design and arrangement of parts with only one preferred, practical embodiment being illustrated and specified, as required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers of reference refer to similar parts throughout:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of my periodical container in assembled condition with plural stored periodicals shown therein in dotted outline.

FIGURE 2 is an expanded isometrical view of the several parts of a thickness adjustable specie of my invention showing their general structure configuration, and relationship.

FIGURE 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the lower body element of FIGURE 2, taken on the line 33 thereon, in the direction indicated by the arrows, to show the general structure of the peripheral detachable portions.

FIGURE 4 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows thereon, to show the joinder of adjacent surfaces of the parts of my invention.

FIGURE 5 is an expanded isometric view of the several parts of a size adjustable specie of my invention.

FIGURE 6 is a medial horizontal cross-sectional view of the invention of FIGURE 5 is an assembled condition, taken on a line such as 66 on FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the joinder of lower and back body parts of the inven- 3 tiouof FIGURE 5', when in an assembled condition, taken on a line such as 7-7 on FIGURE 5.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail and particularly to that of FIGURE 2, it will there be seen that the thickness adjustable specie of my invention comprises generally, similar paired side members 10, adapted to structurally communicate with the L shaped compound body member 11 to form the completed periodical container illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Each side member includes rigid planar side portion 13 having inwardly projecting bottom fastening flange 14 and back flange 15, each adapted to fit outwardly adjacent the corresponding lateral portions of body member 11. Preferably the upper outer corner of side 13 is removed to form angled surface 16 adapted to aid in insertion and removal of magazines immediately adjacent the side from the container. The two side members are substantially identical, one being a mirror image of the other.

Body member 11 is a compound L shaped member having bottom portion 17 with upwardly extending back flange 22 communicating with the lower inner surface of substantially perpendicularly upwardly extending back portion 18. The size and shape of this member is such as to communicate on each side with the inner surfaces of inwardly projecting fastening flanges 144, of side members \10, as shown in FIGURE 1. Flange 22 provides means of joining back and body portions 18, 17 by adhesion or similar means. One side of both elements of body 11 is provided with plural, spaced substantially parallel grooves 19, correspondingly positioned in both elements with each defining a substantially parallel section 27 that may be removed by breaking or otherwise detaching from the remaining body members along inwardly adjacent grooves 19, 20.

The size adjustable specie of my invention as shown in FIGURE 5, et seq., is seen to embody the same essential members as the thickness adjustable specie. In this specie, however, additional grooves are established about the appropriate peripheral edges to allow portions to be broken away to produce a final form of container of desired size.

Grooves 23 are provided in spaced relation inward of the forwardmost part of bottom 17 and grooves 24 are similarly placed inward of the uppermost edge of back 18 to provide adjustment of the forward and upward extension, respectively, of each of these members. Grooves 25, 26 are provided inwardly, respectively, of the forwardmost and uppermost edges of sides 13 to allow adjustable dimensioning of these elements of the container. With this structure then a particular size container provided according to the teachings of my invention may be adjusted to a lesser size by severing the appropriate portions of the periphery as aforedescribed.

Preferably the side and body elements of the invention are formed from plastic or some similar rigid, fractionable material. The material must be sufliciently rigid and durable to maintain its shape, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, and provide some physical protection to matter carried therein, but must also be of sufficient brittleness to allow portions 27 to be broken or otherwise detached by manual manipulation from the container 10 along an inwardly adjacent groove, so that the final dimensioning of the container may be determined by detachment ofthe unwanted portion. The periphery of the several members is then appropriately sized by similar operation. The grooves must be of sufficient depth in the body material to allow this functioning; generally with commercial plastics the grooves should extend about one-half way or a little further through the material.

Sides 10 are fastened to body I11, and bottom 17 to back 18, preferably, by adhesive 21 established between the adjacent surfaces of the elements. This adhesive may be placed at the time of the forming operation by the user,

or if preferred, and the adhesive be of an appropriate type.

it may be established on at least one of the adjoining elements during manufacture, especially as in the case of a pressure sensitive adhesive.

The dimensioning of side 13 should be such as to allow the formed container to carry at least the particular magazine desired to be stored therein. It is seen that such container may then be adjusted, upon formation, to the desired thickness and to lesser sizes, within the limits of groove positioning.

It is to be particularly noted that the unformed con tainer comprises essentially planar elements that may be readily grouped in a compact volume for easy packaging and shipment, and it is further to be noted that this type of structural element is particularly adapted to economic manufacture.

From the foregoing description of the structure of my invention, its operation can now be understood.

The elements of my invention are firstly formed according the foregoing teachings, with two opposed cooperating side members bottom and back, all of ap propriate size to accept the particular magazine 12 desired'to be stored therein. The thickness of the container, i.e., the perpendicular distance between opposed sides 10, is then'determined and the body member broken off at appropriate grooves 19, 20 to establish the two side members at this distance when the body be inserted therebetween. Adhesive 21 is then established, if not previously present, on the adjoining surfaces of the container ele ments and the elements are then placed in appropriate position to form the structure illustrated in FIGURE 1. In this condition my invention is now ready to serve as container for a plurality of soft-cover periodicals.

From the foregoing description it is to be noted that the base may be formed in a rectilinear configuration adapted to simple shelf storage in multiple groups.

It is further to be noted that one of the containers described is adaptable to contain a plurality of periodicals and maintaining them in a discrete set.

It is further to be noted that there are no openable or folding parts requiring motion, either in the formation process or for insertion or removal of periodicals.

The foregoing description of my invention is necessar ly of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of it might be set forth, as required, but it is to be understood that various changes in detail, rearrangement and multiplication of parts may be resorted to without departmg from its spirit, essence, or scope.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to protect by Letters Patent, and

What I claim is:

1. container for periodicals of the nature aforesaid COIHPIlSlIlg, in combination:

a central L shaped body element having plural spaced,

substantially parallel grooves formed inwardly adacent and parallel to one of the side edges thereof, said grooves adapted to allow breaking of a lateral part of said body at an inwardly adjacent groove by manual manipulation;

paired opposed sheet-like side members having inwardly projecting bottom and back fastening lips adapted to communicate with said body adjacent the outward lateral surface thereof; and

means of fastening said fastening flanges to the adjacent lateral edges of said body.

2. The invention of claim 1 further characterized by:

said means of fastening the fastening flange to said bodycomprising an adhesive substance communicating thereb'etween.

3. The invention of claim 1 further characterized by:

plural parallel spaced grooves inwardly adjacent the upper and forward edges of said body member and the upper and forward edges of said side members, said grooves being adapted to aid in manually detaching. portion of said container elements to adjustably size said container.

4. An adjustably sizeable container for periodicals, of the nature aforesaid, comprising, in combination:

an elongate planar bottom element having an upwardly projecting rearward fastening flange and first means of aiding removal of predetermined portions of the forward part and the first side thereof;

a back element having similar first means for aiding removal of predetermined portions of the upper part and the first side thereof, the latter means being such that the width of both said bottom and back may be the same;

paired opposed sheet-like side members having inwardly projecting bottom and back fastening lips adapted to communicate to the adjacent outward lateral surface of said bottom and back respectively, said side members having similar first means of aiding the removal of predetermined portions of the upper and forward edge portions thereof; and

second means of fastening all aforesaid flanges to the adjacent surfaces of the adjacent element to form a container structure.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said second means comprises an adhesive substance communicating between a substantial part of said adjacent surfaces.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein said first means comprises plural spaced parallel grooves inwardly adjacent said peripheral edges, said grooves being:

an elongate planar bottom element having an upwardly projecting rearward fastening flange with plural spaced parallel grooves, adapted to cause a fracture therealong upon manual manipulation of the edge portiort therebeyond, inwardly adjacent the forward edge and the first side thereof to aid removal of predetermined portions thereof;

a back element having plural spaced parallel grooves,

adapted to cause a fracture therealong upon manual manipulation of the edge portion therebeyond, inwardly adjacent the upper edge and the first side thereof to aid removal of predetermined portions thereof;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1905 Rapp 5298 6/1914 Martin 229-51 X 10/1933 Varden 52-98 10/1950 Priepke 21142 X 6/1959 Warren 5298 9/1955 Whitman 229-51 X FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1948 Great Britain.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

